An Academic Post?!?!?!

So this quarter I'm taking four classes: Group Dynamics, Intro to Student Affairs, Intro to Theory, and Internationalizing College Campuses. All these are very interesting, especially Internationalizing, which will be continued next summer with an abroad trip.

I bring this up because these classes are very discussion based and trigger a lot thoughts and reflections. Sometimes, I want to get my mind straight on these topics, or spend more time dissecting them than we have in class. So I figure my blog is a place to do that, and you are welcome to read or not. I'm sure many of you will find it interesting, and many more of you will find it boring. But at least for this first episode, I think I'll have some fans. So, without further adieu, I give you...

Video Games and Groups Dynamics!!

In our Group Dynamics class, we were tackling the question of whether we as a society were moving toward or away from groups. The textbook had cited a shift in society away from bowling groups between the 1950s and today as a microcosm for this potential change. This was discussed in the book "Bowling Alone". "Are Americans bowling alone?" our professor asked.

Under my breath I joked, "No they are bowling on their Wiis". And then I had a thought: video games as an analysis of group dynamics. I raised my hand and voiced my idea: Video games started out as a communal activity. You went the arcade and hung out together, playing as one or two people with a group watching (so I've inferred from Tron anyway). Yes, there's an element of isolation and individuality, but even The Who sing about a Pinball Wizard who people are watching and cheering for. So there was a group aspect to it. Especially when compared to the next phase of video games, the home console. As video games moved inside, you'd think that the family would gather around this new invention called the "Family Computer" or Famicom (aka Nintendo). That worked for a bit but as every young boy learned, the console system served more as a battlefield, waging war with parents who tried to send you outside to interact with people than as a family bonding experience. Even if you had siblings or friends, the games could cause more arguments than anything. However, as games changed and grew, first with the N64 and later with the Wii, video games turned into a party experience. Add to that the simultaneous growth of computer gaming with games like Diablo and group dynamics really began to come into play. Today video games of all kinds have large multiplayer experiences. Look at what Halo did and Call of Duty has thus far perfected. It's a whole new world of group dynamics.

This is just like a fun premise for a thesis, nothing quite as fleshed out (pun somewhat intended) as say zombies representing the crowd, an extreme of group dynamics and also part of Dungeon Daddy's really interesting English Master's Thesis. As a class, we generally felt that society is still very much enmeshed in groups, they've just changed. Facebook and the internet have turned group dynamics on its head. We interact with people more and more, but the question becomes is the quality of interaction the same type? Are we getting the some sense of belonging, life skills, communication practice, and personal growth that in person interactions have demonstrated to show with online relationships? While there are many levels of group interaction, ranging from your best friend or parent or sibling to being on the bus with other people, where does internet group dynamics fall? I suppose its relative to the person and the type of interactions you have. If you have 800 facebook friends, are those quality group interactions? On a related note, which interactions are more effective, playing Rock Band together in your living room or World of Warcraft online?

Well that's about it for my thought experiment. I will say as one last point about internet group dynamics, I've found online gaming with say, Spam Boa, Dungeon Daddy, Heavy Spy, Math Magician, and several others to be very positive in maintaining friendships. I think regardless of extroversion, introversion, lots of friends or a few good ones, being able to function in groups makes life a lot easier and is pretty important to success in so-called "society".

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment space. Hope you enjoyed!